James Hitchcock
Like a number of films from the Australian "New Wave" of the 1970s, such as "Walkabout" and "The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith", "Rabbit-Proof Fence" takes for its subject relationships between the country's white and Aboriginal communities. (David Gulpilil, one of the stars of "Walkabout", has an important role here). It is a historical drama, set in 1931, and loosely based on a true story. The film examines the curious form of racism which existed in the country, particularly in Western Australia, during the early part of the twentieth century.At this period Aborigines were not accepted as equal Australian citizens. They were still seen as primitive, backward people who needed protection, not only from ill-intentioned white people but also, more importantly, from themselves. The official charged with their protection in Western Australia was the Chief Protector of Aborigines, A. O. Neville, a man who had very wide powers as far as their welfare was concerned. It would appear from the film that Neville could determine not only where they could live and whom they could marry, but even such trivial matters as whether they would be allowed to buy a new pair of shoes.Many racist societies, such as the American Deep South or Apartheid-era South Africa, have tried to discourage, or even forbid, racially mixed marriages. In Australia things were different. Under certain circumstances, interracial marriage was positively encouraged. The white authorities had a particular concern about mixed-race individuals, who because of their white ancestry were considered "too good" for a traditional Aboriginal way of life, but because of their black ancestry were considered "not good enough" to be accepted as equals by white society. Mixed race children were often taken from their families to be brought up in state-run orphanages, with the intention that they should eventually find work as agricultural labourers or domestic servants, regarded as an appropriate position in life for them. They were encouraged to marry white people, with the intention that after several generations their "black blood" would be bred out of them and Australia would be inhabited exclusively by people who were, to all intents and purposes, "white". The film tells the story of three such mixed-race girls, sisters Molly and Daisy and their cousin Gracie, who are forcibly removed from their Aboriginal mothers, their white fathers having long since disappeared from their lives. They are placed in the Moore River Native Settlement near Perth, around 1,500 miles south of their original home in the northern part of the State. Unhappy in their new home, and desperate to be reunited with their family, they flee the settlement and attempt to walk home. The film's title is taken from the "rabbit-proof fence" erected to protect Western Australia's farmlands from the wild rabbits foolishly introduced to the country by European settlers; the girls, knowing that their original home lies close to the fence, use it as their guide during their journey.Like a number of Australian films such as "Walkabout" and "Picnic at Hanging Rock", this one is notable for its visual beauty and its photography of the country's landscapes. It was directed by Phillip Noyce, one of a number of Australian film-makers who have come to prominence, both in their own country and internationally, since the beginning of the "New Wave". The story it tells is a moving one; I doubt if anyone, regardless of their views on the contentious political issues it highlights, could fail to be touched by the plight of these three young girls or by their steadfast determination to be reunited with their families.There is a good contribution from that fine actor Kenneth Branagh as Neville (or "Mr. Devil" as the Aborigines call him). Although the film is set in the 1930s, the period when Fascism was on the march in Europe, Neville is not a racist in the same way as the Nazis were racist. He does not hate the Aboriginal peoples in the way the Nazis hated the Jews and other racial minorities. He sincerely believes that he is doing his best to help them, but cannot see the harm that his well-intentioned, if patronising, paternalism is actually doing. Branagh plays Neville with a British rather than an Australian accent, but this may well be historically correct. Neville was not a native born Australian but an immigrant from Britain. He was, however, considerably older than the character portrayed in the film; Neville would have been in his mid- fifties at the time of the events depicted here, whereas Branagh was only 41 at the time the film was made.The film, and the book on which it is based, have aroused controversy in Australia itself, where conservative historians and political commentators have cast doubt on the historical accuracy of its claims, although it has been welcomed by Aboriginal activists who regard it as casting light on the plight of what they call the "Stolen Generation". Not being Australian myself, I am not in a position to take sides in this controversy, so will content myself with assessing "Rabbit-Proof Fence" as a piece of film-making. And, seen in that light, it is a very good one. Although since the early nineties Noyce has mostly worked in Hollywood rather than his native land, he has here made his contribution to the already substantial corpus of excellent Australian movies. 8/10
nicholls_les
The most disturbing thing about this movie is that it is true.Thankfully it relays a story that needs to be told about the Australian Government's policy of taking half-caste children from their Aboriginal mothers and sending them a thousand miles away to what amounts to indentured servitude in 1931 Molly, Daisy, and Grace (two sisters and a cousin who are 14, 10, and 8) arrive at their Gulag and promptly escape, under Molly's lead. For days they walk north, following a fence that keeps rabbits from settlements, eluding a native tracker and the regional constabulary.The film is surprisingly captivating considering that very little happens during the journey and the lead actress Everlyn Sampi who plays Molly is especially good. It is hard to believe that all the child actors and extras had never acted before this film.I would highly recommend this as a must watch movie.
sigmundhol
The film is based on a true story, and was made in 2002. It takes place in Australia, and is about the children who were taken away from their families, which is called the lost generation. Phillip Noyce was directing the movie and Everlyn Sampi was playing the lead as Molly Craig.The Movie is about Molly Craig, her little sister and her cousin. They are half cast children and live with their families. One day, a car arrives where they live, by the rabbit proof fence. The children try to escape, but the man takes them into his car and abduct them to Moore River 1500 miles away. There they meet other half cast children who also has been taken away from their families. One morning Molly and the two other girls, decides to escape from Moore River, while everyone is in church. They run into the woods and starts their long trip back home. The evening this day, the people at Moore River discovers that they are gone. Soon they have a professional aboriginal tracker, and a police patrol hunting for them.I think the film was good. It was well made, and it tells an important story. The film is mostly about the tree girls walking across the country to get back to their tribe. But the film tells an important story of a shameful part of Australian history. So it's well worth watching.
johannes1337
Rabbit-Proof Fence is a movie starring Everlyn Sampi, Kenneth Branagh and David Gulpilil. The movie is based on a real story set in early 30's Australia. In this period of time the immigrating Europeans were bringing their culture upon the Aborigines by force.The story begins with some background information about the current situation in Australia, the Commissioner of Native Affairs in Australia signs a warrant for the capture of 3 "half-caste" children. The sisters Molly Craig and Daisy Kadibil together with their cousin Gracie Fields are forcibly removed from their grandmother and mother being relocated to a camp hundreds of miles away. After a few days in this camp, the girls decide to run away from the camp and start walking the many miles back home to their family. Molly is the oldest of the three girls and quickly decides that the most effective way of getting home is following the Rabbit-Proof Fence north. The man sent to track them quickly realizes how they are thinking and follows them, trying to track them down. The movie changes drastically when the sisters cousin is captured and brought back to the camp where they started, meaning that the sisters will have to continue on their own.The thing about the movie that really caught my attention was the way they used music. The majority of the movie contained Aboriginal background music, giving the movie a special feel. In addition to this music being in the background, they also included actual Aboriginals singing and chanting in their native language.The actors in this movie were okay, quite fit to their roles and especially one of them impressed me. The actor who did the role of the Commissioner of Native Affairs really impressed me, being able to stay emotionless and not understand a thing about what he was doing. Not being able to see how he was actually destroying and hurting the Aborigines.To sum up, I think this is a really good movie. The fact that it's based on a true story gives the directors little room for their own interpretation of the script and story, meaning you can't really put your finger on it. The feeling you get when seeing how horribly the Aborigines were treated, only 80 years ago is not something anyone should be proud of. This is not a "feel-good movie". Some of the scenes are quite strong, meaning that if you have a problem with watching discrimination I would not recommend this movie. I would recommend this movie for anyone over the age of 14, because I do not believe younger children understands the meaning of this film.
